World Screen

STOCKHOLM: FOX International Channels (FIC) is increasing the reach of its general-entertainment channel FOX through a new distribution agreement with Sweden's Boxer DTT network. The upcoming Boxer launch expands FOX's subscriber base by around 500,000 across all major Boxer packages. Along with the previously announced launch for FOX on Com …

AMSTERDAM: Effective this August, Jan Hendrik Smeege is taking on the role of head of development at Zodiak Nederland. Smeege will be leading the development team of the Dutch Zodiak Media outfit and will also be responsible for creating new concepts and adapting international formats for the Dutch market. Previously, …

STRASBOURG: A new report from the European Audiovisual Observatory has revealed that as of February, there are 3,088 on-demand services established in the E.U. and listed in the MAVISE database, most of which originate from the U.K. The report, On-Demand Audiovisual Markets in the European Union, finds that catch-up TV …

LONDON: Dominic Coles, the director of operations for the BBC, has been lined up to become the COO and CFO of Discovery Networks Western Europe in the fall. In his new role, Coles will report to Dee Forbes, the company's president and managing director of Western Europe, and Doug Baker, …

LONDON: BBC Worldwide is getting a first look at productions from Cuba Pictures, which is part of the Curtis Brown Group. BBC Worldwide will provide investment, co-production expertise, access to market research and development initiatives in addition to global marketing reach in return for the first look at new content. …

LOS ANGELES/ROME: SDI Media has opened its new custom-designed dubbing studios in Rome, where the company has turned the historic Il Messaggero newspaper building into a state-of-the-art studio for broadcast, theatrical, home entertainment and interactive products. The fully-equipped 2,700-square-meter facility will provide local broadcasters, content owners and leading Hollywood studios …

LOS ANGELES: BoPaul Media Worldwide has inked three new deals for its vintage movies with companies in Germany and the U.K. In Germany, Morefilms picked up the pay-TV rights for Seven as well as the the teen comedy trilogy comprised of Porky's, Porky's: The Next Day and Porky's Revenge. Subkultur Entertainment …

DENVER/LONDON: Liberty Global has picked up a 6.4-percent stake in the U.K.'s leading commercial broadcasting group, ITV, for £481 million ($822 million). The company today announced the acquisition of 259.8 million shares in the group. Mike Fries, Liberty Global's CEO, said of the deal: “This is an opportunistic and attractive …

LONDON: International revenues for British independent production companies were up 12 percent in 2013 to £939 million ($1.6 billion), according to new figures released by Pact. According to trade body, the U.K.'s independent TV production sector is worth more than £3 billion ($5.1 billion) to the British economy. International earnings …

ROME: Italian production company Wildside has launched two new divisions as it looks to expand its international presence, with one focusing on drama series and the other targeting film releases. Wildside Series is currently working on drama series like Tomorrow Is A Big Day with Mediaset and The Young Pope, …